Lending

SBA: Lenders and SBA Take More Steps to Improve Paycheck Protection Program

Loan data shows 1.3 million loans and significant increase to underserved entrepreneurs Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration and lenders are taking more strides to improve the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) so that small businesses can access much needed PPP funds to persevere through the pandemic, recover, and build back better. The Administration is working with the Agency to increase…

FHFA: COVID-Related Loan Flexibilities Further Extended Until March 31, 2021

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced today that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) will extend several loan origination flexibilities until March 31, 2021. The changes are designed to ensure continued support for borrowers during the COVID-19 national emergency. The flexibilities were set to expire on February 28, 2021. Extended flexibilities include: Alternative appraisals…

FHFA: Foreclosure and REO Eviction Moratoriums and COVID Forebearance Period Extended

Borrowers can now be in COVID forbearance for up to 15 months Today, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) are extending the moratoriums on single-family foreclosures and real estate owned (REO) evictions until March 31, 2021. The foreclosure moratorium applies to Enterprise-backed, single-family mortgages only. The…

Federal Reserve: Second Extension of Rule to Bolster Effectiveness of SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program Announced

The Federal Reserve Board on Tuesday announced the second extension of a rule to bolster the effectiveness of the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Like the earlier extensions, this one will temporarily modify the Board’s rules so that certain bank directors and shareholders can apply to their banks for PPP loans for…

ABA: Report Shows Credit Card Spending Rebound in Third Quarter of 2020 as Record Number of Consumers Pay Balance in Full

Despite persistent challenges from the pandemic-induced recession, the credit card market continues to show resilience, according to the American Bankers Association’s latest quarterly Credit Card Market Monitor. Monthly purchase volumes rebounded strongly across risk groups in the third quarter of last year even as the ratio of credit card credit outstanding as a share of…

EDA: $1.5 Million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance Invested to Establish a Revolving Loan Fund to Serve Businesses Across Delaware

Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $1.5 million CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to the Delaware Division of Small Business, Dover, Delaware, to establish and administer a Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) that will provide critical gap financing to businesses adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic across Delaware. This…

EDA: $1 Million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance Invested to Capitalize Revolving Loan Fund to Serve Businesses Across Hawaii

Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $1 million CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to the State of Hawaii’s Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, Honolulu, Hawaii, to capitalize and administer a Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) that will provide critical gap financing to businesses adversely affected by the…

HUD: FHA Issues Measures to Protect Health, Safety and Homeownership Security of Borrowers Impacted by COVID-19

Today, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) issued a series of waivers of provisions in its Single Family Housing Policy Handbook 4000.1 that would normally require in-person contact between mortgage servicers and borrowers, including seniors with FHA-insured Home Equity Conversion (HECM) reverse mortgages. These waivers allow important mortgage servicing activities to continue, but in a manner that allows for safe…

ABA: Report Shows Credit Market Conditions Rebound for Consumers and Businesses

The chief economists of North America’s largest banks see improvement in business and consumer credit market conditions over the next six months, according to a new quarterly report from the American Bankers Association. The Q1 2021 ABA Credit Conditions Outlook highlights the results of the ABA Credit Conditions Index. The report represents a suite of indices…

OCC: Fair Access Rule Put on Hold

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) today announced it has paused publication of its rule to ensure large banks provide all customers fair access to their services. The agency proposed the rule in November 2020 to codify more than a decade of OCC guidance stating that banks should conduct risk assessments of individual customers,…